September 2016

It’s here, the brand new side-scrolling Sonic game! No, not Sonic Mania. It’s Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice for the Nintendo 3DS! In this SEGA News Bits, Barry shares with George, and our viewing audience, his thoughts on the game. Did SEGA and Sanzaru Games learn their lesson from Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal? In the comments below, let us know what you think of Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice! Also, don’t hate Barry.

SEGA News Bits is a production of SEGAbits, covering all things SEGA and Sonic the Hedgehog. When we touch on Sonic stories, you’ll be seeing them here on Sonic Retro as well. If you enjoyed this episode of the SEGA News Bits, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss an episode!

SEGA’s Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice releases today for the Nintendo 3DS in North America, and will release a few days from now on September 30th in Europe. The game is available both digitally on the Nintendo eShop and physically with a special Launch Edition for the Americas which includes a collector’s box and a DVD of select Sonic Boom TV show episodes featuring Metal Sonic and Shadow. While reviews have started to appear elsewhere on the web, expect a Sonic Retro review soon.

Discotek Media has given fans of Sonic X an update on their North American DVD releases via a Facebook post detailing all of their upcoming titles. The Sonic X Seasons 1 and 2 Collection, which was originally due out September 27th, has been moved to November 8th of this year. The Sonic X Season 3 DVD collection, which will round out the series, is set to release a month later on December 6th. Both Sonic X sets will only feature the English language version of the series, which is sure to annoy purists and delight Mike Pollock fans. This makes Sonic Boom the only animated Sonic the Hedgehog series not available on home video in North America, which is sure to delight purists and annoy Mike Pollock fans.

As for Hi-sCool! Seha Girls (Sega Hard Girls), another SEGA title that Discotek Media has long promised, they still plan on giving the series a DVD and blu-ray release and they will be picking a date soon. Seeing as how the show is about all things SEGA, Sonic makes his fair share of cameos.

Hot on the heels of the announcement of a Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, Barry and George share their excitement and opinions on the set in a new SEGA News Bits. What’s included? What’s not? Will fans in Europe be seeing it? These questions and more are discussed! The elephant in the room – that being the lack of a physical disc release – is also discussed. What are your thoughts on the Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition? Which platform are you going for? Sound off in the comments below.

SEGA News Bits is a production of SEGAbits, covering all things SEGA and Sonic the Hedgehog. When we touch on Sonic stories, you’ll be seeing them here on Sonic Retro as well. If you enjoyed this episode of the SEGA News Bits, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss an episode!

SEGA continues enticing us with the release of Sonic Mania by announcing a collector’s edition with a statue base of Sonic standing atop a Genesis (With an actual power switch that will yell SEGA!! at you,) a Genesis cartridge cast with a golden ring as well as the download code on a metal card. Priced at $69.99 these sets will release for all announced platforms for it’s spring 2017 release. While the Sonic social media accounts point to the official Sonic website for a pre-order page, at the time of this writing the website does not appear to be working and is instead directing everyone to Amazon to get their orders in.

I’m a little surprised that the system isn’t replicating a SEGA Saturn, but let’s face it, with the game’s history being reflected on the Genesis (Without a SEGA CD or 32X mushroom head attachment, mind) it’s more than appropriate. Of course for some of you reading this, you may be wondering about a European release, and according to several sources it has been confirmed that there is no plan to do so. Strange, especially after the collector’s set for Sonic Generations was Europe only, it’s an odd move on their part. Nintendo fans are potentially equally bitter as not even the game itself is coming to any of their platforms.

It’s unsure when these sets will sell out, but there is still plenty of time before it’s release in Spring of 2017.